Jamaican Pasties for your packed lunch or picnic

Today I want to share with you a great take on the standard Cornish pasty. These Jamaican Pasties use a tomato based sauce and spices to make it a really flavourful pack up treat.

We have eaten them hot and cold and they taste pretty awesome either way. If you are lucky enough to have any leftover then they should be ok to freeze too, so long as you defrost completely and reheat to red hot before you eat it.

Here is what you will need to make these little yellow parcels of deliciousness.

Pastry

500g Plain flour

1tbsp Turmeric

225g butter

3/4 mug ice cold water

1 egg beaten

For the filling

500g beef mince

2 onions

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp chilli powder or less if you dont like heat

2 tbsp curry powder

2tbsp tomato puree

1 beef stock cube.

Method

Mix the flour and Turmeric in a large bowl, soften the butter on defrost in the microwave for a few seconds then add it to the flour and combine by rubbing your fingers through the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add some of the cold water and combine until it turns into a stiff dough, only adding water when needed.

Wrap the dough in cling film or a freezer bag and pop in the fridge to chill while you make a start on the filling. This dough will be bright yellow due to the natural colouring of the Turmeric so wear gloves if you dont want to stain your hands.

Dry fry the mince in a frying pan while you finely chop the onions, then add them to the mixture. You can drain off any fat as it appears if you want to. When the mince is brown and the onions are soft move on to the next stage.

Dissolve a stock cube in a mug of boiling water, or approx 300ml and add to the meat mixture, along with the chilli powder, curry powder, crushed garlic and tomato puree.

Give the mix a really good stir, cover with a lid if you have one and simmer for at least 20 mins. You want the sauce to thicken so towards the end you can remove the lid to allow moisture to escape and reduce the sauce.

If you are happy with the taste (if not adjust with any spices or paste until you are happy), then put the pan to one side and allow to cool.

Grease 2 large baking sheets, preheat the oven to gas mark 6.

Divide the dough into 2 balls, working with one at a time, roll out to a nice thin piece and using a bowl cut out your pasty shapes. Keep re-rolling the leftover bits until you need the second ball.

Put around 1 tbsp of mixture into the centre and wet the edges of the pasty with the beaten egg. Fold over in half and using a fork pinch the edges together. Use a sharp knife and poke two holes on the top to allow steam to escape during the cooking.

Place on the baking sheets, then glaze with the egg mixture. Cook the full tray in the oven on the middle shelf for approx 20 mins or until the pastry is firm and golden.

This recipe should give you around 12-14 small pasties depending on what you use as a circle to cut out your pasty shape.

My son has taken these to school in his packed lunch and loves them. My husband steals them as they come out of the oven so I know if I make them they barely last 2 days. The Ingredients are not fancy and are cheap to purchase so these make a great alternative to a sandwich when you have a budget to stick too.

I hope you like my recipe for Jamaican Pasties, please feel free to share this recipe.

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About Me

Hello and welcome to my blog. Im Sammy, and my blog features lots of recipes, reviews and posts about my life and family. Im a geek at heart, love to cook and create. We are new to the Vango camping family and love getting away. I also love foxes x